For those with pine solid floors...

[bjosephd]

For those with pine solid wood floors...

...obviously exturnally paint or treat the underside and edges of the floor...

...however, what do you do you think with the internal floor inside their actaul home?

Keep it somewhat porous? Or paint it well so it doesn't get damp or mouldy (but then shiny painted non absorbant floor might just end up being a big puddle in the bottom of the hive!)

Also tricky with the Mann Lake floors as they have an extra lip/alighting board (ie the floor is about 2 inches longer than the hive body) that will collect rain and potentially go mouldy if untreated. It is not an angled/sloped alighting board.

(Google their complete hive kit images to see what I mean)

So there is a question of porosity, and a question of mouldiness/decay.

I appreciate there is a perpetual solid/mesh floor debate but please can we not have the debate in this post. I have both and will see which I and these bees(appear!) to prefer.

But for now I'm prepping this floor... so what do you reckon?

Has anyone else tackled this conundrum?

Thanks all...

BJD

 

[mbc]

cuprinol shades all over for me.

 

[snelgrove]

I kept bees well before the advent of open mesh floors, hence all floor where solid. I painted the whole floor with a preservative. Never saw any undue affects.

 

[MartinL]

I wouldn't bother.

If it's elevated enough to prevent damp rising from the ground there should be no need.

Prefer cedar in any case.

 

[snelgrove]

I wouldn't bother.

If it's elevated enough to prevent damp rising from the ground there should be no need.

Prefer cedar in any case.

I agree, I prefer cedar . Would have all my floors and indeed all my other hive parts made of cedar, but unfortunately I carnt afford it, therefore plywood boxes and pine roofs etc well treated.

 

[bjosephd]

Yep. Cedar would be lovely. But beyond my budget I'm afraid.

If the floor was Cedar I would just leave it.

Cuprinol shades is maybe a good option. Splits the difference maybe.

 

[pargyle]

I treat the inside of all my hives (timber and poly) with propolis varnish ... just frame and hive scrapings dissolved in methylated spirits .. takes a few days to dissolve but it has a lovely bee smell, dries almost instantly and the bees seem to like it .. might be a free option for your pine floors .. will protect them from moisture with something the bees have made themselves.

 

[bjosephd]

I treat the inside of all my hives (timber and poly) with propolis varnish ... just frame and hive scrapings dissolved in methylated spirits .. takes a few days to dissolve but it has a lovely bee smell, dries almost instantly and the bees seem to like it .. might be a free option for your pine floors .. will protect them from moisture with something the bees have made themselves.

Interesting. Or beeswax even?

 

[pargyle]

Interesting. Or beeswax even?

The bees naturally coat the inside of new hives with propolis .. the stuff I make and paint on just gives them one less job to do and it costs nothing .. also takes that 'polystyrene' smell off new poly hives. I suspect that some of the components of beeswax that will dissolve in meths are also in the mix as well. I just chuck the hive scrapings into a jar with the meths. give it a shake, shake it every time I pass the jar or once a day and what you get after a few days is this lovely golden brown coloured 'varnish'. I strain the bits of timber out of it and any other solids and use that .. anything left goes back in the jar and I top it up with meths and scrapings as necessary ... bit like the everlasting stew.

 

[bjosephd]

...anything left goes back in the jar and I top it up with meths and scrapings as necessary ... bit like the everlasting stew.

Ha. Bung a couple of queens in the stew, coat the inside of your empty boxes and you'll catch every swarm withing a 3 mile radius!

 

[pargyle]

Ha. Bung a couple of queens in the stew, coat the inside of your empty boxes and you'll catch every swarm withing a 3 mile radius!

Now ... there's a good idea !!

 

[madasafish]

I use Wickes woodstain/varnish to paint the floor surfaces.

To prevent water lying in the hive entrance - I use Langs- I angle the hive slightly so the floor slopes slightly to the front.
No problems.

I do, however, varnish and leave to lose all vapour traces - for 2-4 weeks or longer before I use them.

(Beekeepers used to creosote hives for longevity- some dipped them and left for 6 months before using them)

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Beekeepers used to creosote hives for longevity

Still do in Southern Africa - you can actually buy them pre treated. They also have crown boards with no holes in - have you ever heard of such a thing?!

 

[Poly Hive]

Update... B. Mobus addressed this issue some 40+ years ago.

He cut a whacking big hole in it and added mesh.

Ventilate below and insulate above.


PH

 

[pargyle]

I do, however, varnish and leave to lose all vapour traces - for 2-4 weeks or longer before I use them.

Very wise .. slow release VOC's and driers in oil based paints can take months (at least several weeks) to evaporate - the slow release voc's in paints are what give them their hardness as they allow the surface of the paint film to dry fairly quickly as the higher volatile elements evapoate but allow the sub-surface layers to dry much slower - otherwise the paint would crack.

To be honest, in 'normal' temperatures, after about 2 weeks the amount of slow release VOC's still leaving the paint is very small compared to the initial release ... it's an exponential curve.